The new book by football official Georg Pangl draws attention to the real reasons why the first Winter World Cup is taking place in Qatar.
For decades he was one of the most dazzling figures in European football: the Austrian Georg Pangl was manager at UEFA, head of the Austrian Bundesliga – and until the end of 2019 Secretary General of the European Leagues, representing 36 European professional leagues. Today he runs his own Pangl Football Group, which advises associations and clubs worldwide. Shortly before the start of the controversial World Cup in Qatar, his book “My Theater of Dreams” is now being published.
Pangl also provides insights into the process that led to this World Cup taking place in winter at all. He contradicts the official version of the world football association FIFA. According to Pangl, it was by no means primarily about medical reasons, according to which it was simply too hot in Qatar in the summer to be able to play football responsibly – but once again about money.
Winter World Cup “harms football”
The Austrian was present at all decisive meetings for the World Cup appointment – but without voting rights. In 35 years in the football business he has repressed many negative experiences, but the first winter World Cup in history drives him to one “Bluff with Marked Cards”said Pangl in an interview with the sports show, today “the flush of anger in the face”.
European football was actually closed against the Winter World Cup and instead agreed on a date in spring 2022 (May, with the early termination of all leagues) – “in order not to torpedo national championships too much and not to shake up the international game calendar even more”, according to Pangl. The European League Association and the European Club Association ECA are unusually marching hand in hand, since 75 percent of all World Cup players are active in European leagues.
Champions League instead of the Spring World Cup
But the alliance then crumbled in March 2015 in a construct of lies and financial self-interest, as Pangl claims. Leading actors once more: Gianni Infantinothen General Secretary of the European football union UEFA. “He wanted his Cash Cow Champions League protect at all costs in spring”according to Pangl.
In November 2014 there was a meeting of the Working Group on the International Match Calendar at FIFA Headquarters in Zurich. Allegedly, the discussion about when the World Cup would kick off was still open.
That’s how almost all continental associations put it, claims Pangl, who was present at the meeting – but the then FIFA President Joseph Blatter said in his welcoming address that one should please not even discuss: “It has to be in winter.” This is also what emerges from the FIFA protocol from back then, writes Pangl.
Blatter relies on medical commission
Joseph Blatter confirmed the process through his spokesman to the sports show. The reason for this was simple: when making the clear statement for a winter World Cup, he relied solely on the statement of the FIFA medical committee, which ruled out a World Cup outside of the winter months due to the high temperatures.
He can remember that the clubs and individual European national associations had a different view – but the FIFA opinion was unanimous. He made that clear. In addition, according to Blatter, he attaches importance to the fact that he did not vote for Qatar, but for the competitor USA.
The then UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino At the said meeting in November 2014, according to Pangl, reminded everyone how much the 209 member associations depended on financial support from FIFA – and also only brought two winter options (November and December or January/February) into play.
Pangl suspects backroom agreements, because there was official resistance from the big league representatives from Spain and England, who insisted on cooling down the arenas and the World Cup in the spring, which was already hot and officially announced violent resistance – but their words then none action followed.
No decision by the FIFA executive?
The decisive meeting then took place in Doha on February 24, 2015. The now-suspended FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke opened the meeting by saying: “The FIFA Executive Committee, which includes 26 representatives from all six confederations, has unanimously decided to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in the winter.”
But such a decision was never made, says Pangl, who was also present at this meeting. He explains the fact that there was virtually no resistance from the top European leagues with their rich and influential clubs: Compared to the 2014 World Cup, FIFA tripled the release fees for players who travel to the World Cup. A 209 million euro package each for the World Cup in Russia and Qatar, from which the big clubs with many international players benefit the most.
Pangl’s conclusion: “Appointment against coal. Once again a smart deal for the big clubs. For the small clubs, which have few or no national players in their ranks and who still have to do without the attractive game dates because of the World Cup, a disaster. Just like for them leagues.” On March 19, 2015, the FIFA Executive Committee made the final decision: the World Cup will take place in winter.
The sports show confronted FIFA, UEFA, the ECA and Blatter with Pangl’s allegations. Only FIFA responded to the questionnaire. A spokesman said they did not want to comment on Pangl’s allegations because everything had been settled since March 20, 2015.
On this day, FIFA published a cooperation agreement, which the spokesman for the world football association now referred to. This agreement, signed by Blatter, Valcke and then ECA President Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, states, among other things, that the opulent payment to the clubs is complete “Aware of the importance of clubs in global football structures, the interests of club football are given even greater consideration at FIFA level”.
Counter-movement to the ECA – the UEC of the small clubs
Pangl sees things differently. “It’s not just the place, but also the timing that is extremely damaging to football”, says Pangl. First and foremost he thinks of many leagues and clubs that are now up to two months without income with ongoing costs.
In his book, he repeatedly criticizes UEFA’s distribution system: more and more for the big clubs, less and less for the small ones. From 1992 to 2018, the 14 most powerful clubs would have seven billion euros from the Champions League sucked off, now in a much shorter period (2021 to 2024) it is already 6.8 billion euros.
Pangl reports on a small group of smaller clubs that aim to “Union of European Clubs” (UEC) – as a counterpoint to the ECA, because one has the feeling that one has no voice there. Pangl names a quartet as initiators: Dennis Gudasic, director of the Croatian first division club Lokomotiva Zagreb, and Katarina Pijetlovic, a sports lawyer Manchesterthe former Premier League-Professional and lawyer Gareth Farrellyand a club owner from Ireland who wished to remain anonymous.
The main concern of these ECA opponents: more rights for small clubs. If the champions from Montenegro only have four qualifying rounds to Champions League have to play and then meet the champions from leagues like Belgium or Greece – then he has no chance. Athletically and financially.
According to Pangl, it is undisputed that the majority of the fans “Barcelona or Liverpool and less likely to want to see FK Podgorica – but not letting someone play and being stingy with the solidarity payments is a mixture that I think should be Fair play is not reconcilable”. The ECA also answered questions from the sports show about the planned “Union of European Clubs” Not.
Disclaimer: In an earlier version from 2.11. the statement by Joseph Blatter, which the Sportschau only reached on November 3, had not yet been incorporated.